The Scrap Heap: One Piece Edition
by Hakuei Shirei
Summary: aka "random OP scraps that may or may not be able to fit into any actual Fanfic that I may or may not post"... Each Scrap will be Rated Separately with Warnings for any triggers which may occur. They are scraps, and may or may not be incomplete. Ideas and such that I may or may not post inside as well. Each Scrap may or may not have summary/blurbs in them. S2: Teach vs Ace (OC!PoV)
1. Heart Story (Feat: Mihawk)

**The Scrap Heap: One Piece Edition**

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 **A/N:** I don't know why I'm bothering to post these when no one knows about these characters? But I've actually managed to write SOMETHING, so why the hell not?

And this is probably so Out of Character, I don't even... This is such a horrible thing... Why am I even? No clue, but enjoy the ANGST.

Yes, Angst. Angsty Fluff at the end, featuring Mihawk and a nameless woman. Those of you who know me, or Roleplay with my characters knows what's actually going on here and this might be like a kick in the balls, but... Ugh. I don't know.

Also, my Headcanon of Mihawk is that he's more Romanian than Spanish, so for anyone that doesn't like seeing Mihawk as anything but Spanish (I _don't care_ if you think he's spanish because of that flare, but if you're going to complain without proof from Oda himself to back this up, please don't bother. I don't mind discussions and debates, but flamey-remarks will be used to fuel Ace's rage-fueled quest to kill BlackBeard...or maybe a revenge-quest for Marco, who knows) please DO NOT READ THIS.

And yeah, as I've mentioned, Mihawk is probably totally OoC, but this is also set before he becomes a big bad Shichibukai Lord (like, 20+ years before canon), and was spawned... somehow.

Last note, translations are at the bottom, and I own nothing but this terrible, terrible idea and my own Muses (there will be others where the child survives, which effectively makes it AU, but for now, you can think of this as AU/Canon, whatever).

...I seriously have no idea how this even happened, though. So IDK, do whatevers, I guess. The next one...might be just as bad, or it might be better. Who knows. Stick around and see I guess.

Oh, and before I forget:

WARNING: ANGST, FLUFF, AND DEAD BABIES.

That is all.

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 **Scrap 001. Heart Story** (Rated T/T+ for Angst and a bit of cursing)

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A dark haired woman grieved, clearly broken by the news she had been given.

In the doorway, Mihawk stood still, unsure of just what to do. Should he comfort her? Would she even want to see him after such a…. such a horrible event had occurred?

Hands fisted tightly and jaw clenched, the not yet infamous man resisted the urge to do….something. To smash something, to scream, to….to _cry_ , to _demand that she went back to the way she'd been before, damnit!_

She'd been such a strong woman for as long as he'd known her. So fiery, so full of life… And to think, she'd been reduced to… to _this_. To even humor the notion that it might've even been his fault that she'd become this way…

He didn't know what to do.

He hated to think that it could even remotely be possible that it was his fault. That it could be his fault that she was… that she was like this, that he had caused such grief and sorrow….

He almost couldn't bear to face her now. And the thought of a life, the life of _his child_ (a daughter, supposedly, which only somehow made it all just so much _worse_ ) being snuffed out before it even had the chance to live…

Dracule Mihawk was an intimidating man, but even in such a situation, the timid and portly doctor could pull up the courage to rest a hand on the taller ( _much_ taller) man's shoulder in sympathy and condolence.

Losing a child was always a terrible feeling, especially a first born, after all.

He could only hope that the relatively young couple would be able to pull themselves together. At least to offer comfort to each other, if not to grieve together. Dracule Mihawk wasn't exactly a (completely) heartless man, after all…

The softly offered condolence only seemed to make things worse, however, as Mihawk nodded numbly, still not quite believing of the situation. He'd arrived just in time for his lover's birth, only to find out... _this_.

He almost wished the man hadn't spoken, however, as a soft hiccup met his sharp hearing, followed by a sniffle, and a soft, almost broken wine colored eyes met his.

"Dracule…" the woman offered a watery smile. His heart hurt, something he never would have thought possible before the once formidable woman. (Another piece of his heart shattered at the way she attempted to pull herself together, despite the obvious pain she was feeling -not only from the childbirth, but from the loss of her -their- firstborn, as well.)

"..." Even though he'd meant to speak, to say _something_ … His throat refused to work. Something twisted inside him at the humorless little lopsided smile she wore.

"I guess you heard, huh?" she laughed softly, bitterly at this strange turn in direction. The world could be so cruel…

And still Mihawk couldn't speak, couldn't move.

"...Sorry," she whispered, eyes closing to hide the intense sense of sorrow (postpartum depression wasn't helping, either, though neither man or woman knew that). Either ignorant or purposely ignoring the tears that spilled.

Finally, his body moved. Taking first one step, then another. An arm reaching out before he could even think about it, to wipe away the tears that, had he had the chance to properly think about, would have caused the man intense discomfort.

" _Dragostea mea_ ," he murmured, as if it could make things better. " _Iubita mea_ ," he almost huffed, normally sharp eyes soft as he gathered the woman he had loved -still loved, if he could even admit it to himself- into his arms.

" _Te voi iubi mereu,_ " he promised, "This doesn't change anything," he whispered fiercely, " _Esti speciala_ ," he told her, saying the things he could never say in public, that he would never speak in the common language (He was fucking Dracule Mihawk, after all), in the less known language of his homeland. All those things he could never openly say to her, to anyone. Even if it was just to make himself feel better about it. After all, it wasn't like he could say such sappy things in the open (even if she had that way of flustering him, somehow, regardless). Besides… " _Inima mea iti apartine_ ," he continued.

Even if he hadn't meant for it to happen. Even if it had all started as curiosity, and a vivid attraction that may or may not have been instigated by alcohol… " _Mi-ai furat inima_ …" he whispered.

Love had a way of overcoming almost anything. Love had no rhyme or reason, and it could hurt just as much as it helped. But love was stronger than death.

 _They_ were stronger than death.

And sappy as it might have sounded…

Love would find a way.

 _Iubirea ca moartea e de tare. Nimic peste putintã la dragoste se-ntelege…_

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Translations:

 _Dragostea mea_ \- My Love

 _Iubita mea_ \- My Beloved

 _Te voi iubi mereu_ \- I will always love you

 _Esti speciala_ \- You are special

 _Inima mea iti apartine_ \- My heart belongs to you

 _Mi-ai furat inima_ \- You stole my heart

 _Iubirea ca moartea e de tare_ \- Love is as strong as Death / Love is stronger than Death

 _Nimic peste putintã la dragoste se-ntelege_ \- Love will Find a way / Nothing's Impossible for Love / Love can overcome anything

 **End Note** : I'm pretty sure no one else is going through a romanian phase (as far as I know), but either way, I'm pretty sure those translations are correct, but who knows, with the internet? I cross-checked a few sites especially for Romanian phrases for this, and yes, dead baby. Stillborn, and considering the technology in the One Piece world, there's probably not much that could've been done to begin with. I like to think the baby was lost due to an accident that happened (Mihawk will probably never settle down anywhere but that beautifully dreary little castle of his), and since this is before his Shichibukai years, who knows.

I left the blurb for the end since I doubt most people would be interested anyway. (Do any of you even read the beginning notes, let alone the bottom?)

As for those in the know, yuuup, dead 'lucia, she died. Or technically, was never born. I like to think this is closer to canon!verse, but then who would bring the creepy cute animals to his island? (I still headcanon that it's all Alucia's fault). As for the woman... well, she still has no name, but I'd be willing to accept some suggestions, even if might not use them -or any.

IDK, who knows. I'll probably post something else more OC-oriented for the next scrap (I've got quite a few written, it's more an issue of picking what to post), but I don't really want to post something else that's dark... who knows, maybe if people are interested. This scrap heap will probably mostly be for story stuff I'll either never post, or wouldn't work as part of the series (like Lucy dying before she's even born, derp?) I'm such a horrible, horrible person...

If I ever end up posting chibi!Hawk's story, and you all read/remember this scrap... I'll probably get stoned to death.

Oh well. C'est la Vie.


	2. Blackbeard vs Ace (OC PoV, Ninja Verse)

**The Scrap Heap: One Piece Edition**

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 **A/N:** Ehhh, as with the other one, I have no idea how this one came about, to be honest. Mostly inspired by the memory of the Blackbeard vs. Ace episode that I watched a while back, and when I was feeling in the mood for dark stuff (I think this was written around the same time as 'Heart Story' was). I don't know why I keep doing such horrible things to my characters.

At least Ace is saved in this one? This is, honestly, the most logical way I could even think of to keep Ace from being caught and killed -even if that means that there's something else that happens to change/fix things because of that. This is mainly An's Point of View, watching the battle, and how she would react.

It's pretty dark, considering her actual personality, but probably nobody but one person other than me knows this OC, so...yeahhh, IDK. Either way, more pseudo-Ninja!Verse, for those in the know.

You are free to see the ending in any way you please, though I'd be curious to what you think of it, considering the fact it's pretty open ended. (Or so I think, there's one possibility I aim towards more than the other, but who knows?)

More notes to be found at the end for anyone who knows the character, etc. I don't know. The title's also not very creative. At all. (Then again, neither was the other one, orz...)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Piece in any way. I do, however, own any OCs that show up, and anything that obviously doesn't belong to Oda Eichiro-sensei, or any other published persons.

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 **Scrap 002. Blackbeard vs. Ace** (Rated T/T+ for Angsty/Dark thoughts, and darkish twist of a -usually- very upbeat personality)

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An hadn't been there when That Event had happened. It was probably a good thing she hadn't been either, seeing how terribly she was reacting to this one. What situation could cause such a terrible reaction as this? Well, it'd started when Ace had requested (pretty much ordered her, really) that she not interfere in the battle that was about to occur.

She had accepted out of respect, but watching this...this _terrible thing_ happen…

Well, she really could only be glad she hadn't been home at the time of the Massacre.

'Ace...' she bit her lip, hands fisting in her lap as she forced herself to stay still, to watch as the large devils' fruit user tried to smother her friend(?)'s flames. It was horrifying, the magnitude of the power that Marshall D. Teach now held. It was terrifying, that feeling of her heart in her throat, trying not to cry as Ace got hurt.

Part of her wanted to run, to go right up to Ace and just...pull him away. The other part… The other part just wanted to get as far away from the Yami Yami no Mi's abilities.

An entire town, leveled. Not even in her craziest dreams had she thought such a thing could happen. But now, all she could do was stay and watch, to keep vigil over this ridiculous battle. She'd promised (reluctantly as she had) to Ace that she wouldn't interfere. She'd _promised_ …

But right now, she wanted to break that promise. Who cared if Ace hated her after this? (It would hurt, and he would still be hurt, but he'd be _alive_.) Who cared if she might end up getting herself killed? (A tiny part of her protested, reminding her of siblings, of family that would care very much if she suddenly up and died -another responded that _Ace_ had such people as well…) Let alone if she revealed her presence?

But still she waited, still she watched, never taking her eyes off the horrifying sight.

Had her brother had to see such a horrible thing? To go through the same, to see their parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins die in That Event? Young though she was, dull though her memories of the far past were, even she had known something had gone inherently wrong, upon returning to the island to find...nothing, nothing but silence and a solemnly grieving sibling waiting for them.

She grit her teeth, glaring at the largely girth-ed man with hatred that she had never once felt burn so bright or hot within herself.

Marshal D. Teach.

As soon as she was able, she would sneak in and steal Ace back. The ship was wrecked, but she was strong enough to get them to the next island at least.

It would be uncomfortable for Ace, but he would be alive.

 _Marshal D. Teach_.

Something burned white and hot, yet oh so dark -almost sweetly- as she bit her lip, trying not to draw blood even as she tried to distract her instincts.

Ace was her friend. Ace was important to her. Ace was…

Ace was quite possibly the only person outside her family that she truly cared for. The only person who had ever given her that strange, fuzzy feeling inside… (though An herself remained oblivious of the meaning of such feelings, herself.)

And Marshal D. Teach was trying to take that away.

 _I won't forgive you_.

She would never forgive the bulky man for this sight, for the things he said, for all the hurt he'd caused.

 _I will_ end _you one day._

Something dark and sinister whispered inside her, but she ignored it for something far more important than the potent anger and hatred that roiled within.

 _I will tear you limb from limb_.

She wouldn't let Ace get hurt like this again. Not again. Just like she never wanted to see the look of pain on Sho-nii's face as she had back then.

 _I will make you_ scream _, and_ cry _, and_ beg.

An was one of the youngest, the most innocent member of the Clan. But that didn't mean she was totally pure. Even if she might usually have seemed so.

She was still a Ninja, after all. A member of the Kagemori Clan. A servant of darkness and shadows, of death and destruction.

A ninja was an assassin, a killer. A ninja was a hunter -of information, of life, of _anything_ as long as it was for the Clan. A ninja could be anything under the moon and sun if it was absolutely necessary.

They could kill, torture, maim…

And An _was_ a Ninja, no matter what those outside the clan might believe. No matter that the clan might dote on her as the youngest female (there was only one other younger than her, and only by several months, though he refused to admit such a thing. Especially since she was the 'baby' of the clan, now). _She was a Ninja, after all_.

 _And I will never let you go._

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End Notes: Explanation time, I guess. (Feel free to skip this portion if you're not actually interested in idea/concept-vomit about the above featured character.)

The first paragraph alludes to a 'horrible tragedy'/event that takes place for the Kagemori Clan (the Ninja) quite a bit in the past. I won't explain too much more on that since that'd be spoilers in case I post more (which I probably will, if I get back to it). As said before, this is based off the Blackbeard vs. Ace episode, though I still don't particularly like it still. (who would, really?)

Yes, this features a somewhat Dark, Possessive, but still oblivious (and rather childish) An. Who has no idea whether she like-likes Ace, but sees him as a close (and her only) friend at the very least (no one in the clan counts, since they're all family, already). This changes things -definitely divergent from canon- because of An 'saving' Ace before his capture this time. (Basically meaning Ace wasn't caught, and likely it'll end up being Akane -who most of you probably don't know yet- that'd be 'caught' later and set to be executed, but that's not til later. And I am quite liable to change my mind depending on how things change.)

An is supposed to be a rather 'pure' character, though she isn't (obviously). She just comes off as so due to her personality, though you don't see most of it in this scrap of that AU. She's actually supposed to come off as a rather childish character, mostly due to her stature (she looks like she hasn't hit puberty yet...which...is technically true, a very rare late bloomer, she is, though she'll never be particularly tall or busty, really). She's nice enough to help a total stranger, but she doesn't usually form attachments to anyone outside her clan (which is why Ace is special, since he's the first 'friend' she's made outside the clan, especially as she's gotten attached to him. Whether she likes him or not in a romantic sense is a very different story). She is selfish, though it comes off more as childishness than anything, and she (as shown above) does have darker tendencies and isn't totally understanding of usual human nature, since she was raised as a ninja.

That, and Sho (her eldest sibling, and the leader of their clan, after the 'incident', though he was already heir before that) likes to pretend she's still a child like she looks, though she isn't, no matter how childish she may seem at times. Which is mostly due to her unconsciously conforming to people's views. It's surprising, but she's actually not bothered when people mistake her for a boy (she's surprisingly genderfluid) even if its annoying at times. Something which I didn't expect to happen.

Her height doesn't usually bother her either, unless someone keeps going on about it, over and over. And she's actually surprisingly socially awkward, despite the fact that she's an extravert (or extrovert, depending on your spelling preference, I'm just using the original Myer-Briggs spelling I'm used to). Either way, Ace is the first person outside of her family she'd gotten attached to, really, so its probably not surprising she gets rather possessive of him at times but doesn't notice it. She probably has a crush on him but doesn't realize it. Which is both hilarious and sad, I think. Partially because she's actually rather socially awkward though she seems not to be at first, and she's never had a chance to really make friends or learn about love and stuff, though that purity is...nice, in a way, I suppose IDK.

And this is probably too much information for such a short Scrap, but oh well. I like sharing ideas. Mostly so I don't forget them, but whatever.


	3. Dawn of a New Romance (SIOC Twin Verse)

**A/N:** Haven't really practiced writing in a while. Haven't updated anything in a while either, so uploading some in progress/scraps/etc. One of which was the original idea for a branching Monkey Twins/SI-OC AU. It mostly follows some of the original series, but I have different branches where it can either follow closer to canon or diverge completely. We'll see, though. I have two more for the 'prequel' of this on backburner, but if I manage to get another chapter or two done (I'm not counting omakes, which there are several of, not to be posted yet in case this does become an actual series), I might make it an actual fic.

Anyways, here you go. A mostly self-indulgent SI-OC Monkey Twin AU...

No End Notes this time. If I manage to get another one out, then I might explain more~

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 **Scrap 003. Dawn of a New Romance** (Rated T for One Piece)

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It was finally time. With the wind at his back, and a hand on one of his most important treasures to keep it from flying off, Luffy was finally setting off on his journey to become the Pirate King.

A wide grin took up nearly half of the boy -no, teen's face.

"Shishishi~ Just wait, everyone… I'll be seeing you again soon enough!" The raven haired teen exclaimed, excited at the prospect of not only sailing out, but to see his siblings again.

Soon, very soon, he'd be able to see the brother he hadn't seen in nearly three years, along with the sibling he'd seen much more recently. But that was okay, reunions were supposed to be a good thing, so even if it hadn't been very long, and even if they'd all still kept in touch, Luffy would still be excited to find his 'precious people' again…

"Just wait, soon I'll be even stronger. And then… Then…

" _ORE WA KAIZOKU NI NARU ZE-!*_ " he yelled, announcing his dream, no, _intention_ to the world.

Even if no one could hear his declaration at the moment, that didn't make the moment any less poignant to the calf-eyed brunette.

The world would find out about it soon enough, anyway.

… … …

Back on Dawn Island, a young woman rummaged around an otherwise empty house, huffing just a bit as she ran around gathering _this_ and _that_ item which may or may not be important. Rushing about as she was, trying to pack, it seemed as if she were causing even more disarray, as she resisted the urge to hiss.

She'd gotten the den-den mushi call earlier, getting confirmation of the plans that had been so meticulously made. (Even if the others had laughed, there was _no way_ she was going to let _anything_ mess up this all-important meeting of theirs!) Muttering to herself as she became more frenzied in her motions, the girl almost didn't notice the familiar green-haired figure making its way towards the soon to be completely emptied home.

"I can't _believe_ that idiot forgot to pack extra clothes! And underwear! Oh geez, that rubber-brained idiot. I bet all he took was _one_ extra set of clothes, and whatever meat he could carry on him. That dumbass!" Running this way and that as she continued to pick up one thing only to remember another, the frantic girl almost whined, worry written all across her features, as she took a moment to pause, staring blankly around the room as she tried to remember what she'd been in the middle of doing before her impromptu little rant.

A familiar chuckle snapped her out of it, however, as a familiar and soothing voice chimed out. "I don't think insulting your brother will be of any help, Lallie-chan," an amused expression on her face half hidden by the hand she'd brought to attempt to stymie her giggled.

"Makino-san!" The girl gasped, previously dark eyes melting into puddles of semi-dark chocolate in the lighting as she turned to face the entryway, sunlight streaming through partially curtained windows and the open doorway behind the smiling green-haired woman.

"Hello, dear. I tried knocking you know, but I don't think you heard me," she mused, casting a look around the mess that littered the usually pristine (or, well, as pristine as the brunette before her could get it, considering who she lived with) home of the Monkey Family.

"Oh," casting her own look around the place, she flushed, embarrassment clear on her face as she gave the a sheepish grin. "Oops… I, er, I guess I got kind of carried away, heh…" Bringing up a hand to rub the back of her head in an equally sheepish motion (something she'd likely picked up from her brothers, Makino mused with a smile), the girl started picking up the things she'd left everywhere. The house looked like a cyclone of all things had whirled through the place, with all the things that had been tossed here and there in her quest to find every last thing she could think of to pack.

An already filled backpack with clothes and a few other things spilling out of it already sat on the edge of the coffee table in the sitting area, threatening to topple over and send all the clothes and hygienic items to the floor.

Aha...ha…

 _Whoops_. She thought, sweating to herself. Movement at the edge of her vision made her look up to see Makino leaning over to help pick up as well.

"Ah, Makino-san, you don't have to-" she started, only to be interrupted by the ever present kind and seemingly placid (but determined) look on her face.

"But I want to. Just think of it as my going away present for you, if you must, my little Moon," the woman mused, folding some of the clothes that had been shrewn across the room due to the frantic movements of a certain Hurricane Lal.

An embarrassed look (reminiscent of Ace's, if Makino had looked up at that moment) crossed the teen's face. "Heh, I guess… There's no winning with you is there, Makino-san," a soft look similar to her mother/sister figure's crossed her features (ones that her brothers seemed to have adopted as well).

"Mmhm, and don't you forget it~" Makino replied playfully, winking at the girl as they both fell into giggling, the air much calmer now that the younger girl wasn't in a frantic mood.

For a while, the two worked in a companionable silence, before Makino spoke up again.

"Lal-chan," she started once they were almost done, all the items piled neatly on the coffee table or the sofa's that sat around the aforementioned furniture in the sitting room.

"Hm? Yes, Makino-san?" Having calmed enough to start humming as they worked, the girl responded almost absentmindedly, part of her attention on the clothes she was sorting out now that she'd figured that a single bag wouldn't work.

...Maybe one of Grandpa's old duffel bags could work? Garp was a marine, and as a...er...Admiral? Vice-Admiral? (Lal never _had_ been very good at remembering those sort of titles, let alone attaching names to faces on people she didn't see as often. Well, for the most part, anyway.) Well, either way, Jii-chan was a high-ranking marine, which means any equipment allocated to the man would be of higher quality as compared to the lower level marines…

Or so she assumed (she really hoped those things were still sturdy. Jii-chan never used them anyways, so she was pretty sure he wouldn't mind...much. He'd probably be more upset that they were using them for the sake of _not_ being Marines… But Lal never had been good with that sort of thing, and considering that all of her brothers had wanted to be Pirates...well, there was no way she was involving herself in that tug-of-war, nope! Thank god Garp hadn't really tried pushing _her_ to be a Marine...even if it rankled a little at times, but that was something for another time), anyway.

"Are you sure it's okay that you didn't see your brother off?"

Either way, turning her attention to the green-haired woman that had been like both a mother and a sister (and sometimes best friend) to her, Lallie gave the woman a wry smile. "We'll be seeing each other soon enough, so why bother?" She mused, "Besides, we'll all be seeing each other soon enough, anyway…"

Watching the fond smile on the face of the little girl she'd watched grow up into the teen she was today, Makino smiled. "I see," The smile faltered, though, when she remembered that soon, Lallie would be heading out as well. "When exactly are you planning to head out, though?" She asked, a worried expression not unsimilar to the one she hid when each of the girl's brothers had headed out crossing her face.

Sure, logically, the woman knew they could all take care of themselves, but having watched them all -or, well, seen _most_ of them, and heard of another- grow up, she couldn't help but to worry over these precious children.

A pause met her question, before a hum of thought followed. "Well… Definitely not til Kin gets here, and I wager he'll take a while, even if everyone's in East Blue, right now," the girl mused, a fond smile crossing her features at the feline-cum-avian that was her partner and best friend.

Her existence had been an anomaly, after all, and she'd never expected to find a familiar face (or, well, maybe not face, but _being_ considering said feline, despite retaining a feline form, no longer really looked all that much like what he had before) after coming here. Although, 'familiar' could be debated due to various different aspects. But it didn't change the joy she'd felt when she'd found _him_ again, even if it was in a new place with a new face.

(The Bird-thing, though, _oh boy_ , that had been a rather… _epic_ … accident that _none_ of them had anticipated. She couldn't say that it hadn't been useful, though, so there was that.)

"Ah, I see," Makino answered. She knew there was more to that story, considering the girl had one day, suddenly, brought back a _mountain lion cub_ with such an ecstatic face, that none of them could really argue about it. Especially when it turned out said cub acted more like a domesticated house cat for the most part. (She still wondered, sometimes. That was surely quite a tale, but considering what she knew of the family… Well, at least the girl was eccentric in a different way from her brothers... ) "And the mess, earlier?" She asked, unable to help the mischievous twinkle that sparkled in her eye at the embarrassed look the girl gave her.

"I, well.. That is… Y-you know how Luffy is!" she stammered, beat red as she remembered her earlier...uh, frantic...ness.

A peal of bell-like laughter made the girl flush even brighter (ah, so easy to tease at times, this girl. It was in the little things like this that showed that she really was related to those boys. Even if the slight nuances in appearance didn't).

"M-Mouuu, Makino-san!" Pouting at the laughter that spilled but unable to help the slight smile at seeing one of her favorite people in a much happier state (even if she could be rather oblivious, it hadn't been hard to see that Makino had been a bit sad about their departure -or _pending_ departure, in her case. _Someone_ had to make sure Luffy got all the essentials he probably forgot to pack, anyway).

"Sorry, sorry~" The woman giggled, "I just couldn't help it. No wonder Shanks liked to tease you two," she mused, eyes dancing with mirth as the teen before her pouted.

"Ma-ki-no~~" Almost falling into the usual pattern, the girl sighed, giving up this time, but still unable to help the grin that, while not as large as her brother's nor as bright, seemed to light up her face as she fell into a light case of the giggles as well. Looking around again, the grin morphed into a smile, one tinged with sadness at the thought of leaving the house that had been her _home_ for so long now…

"..." A sigh made her look back at the woman with seaweed green locks. "I'm going to miss you," she admitted. Unlike with the boys, she knew that the only girl of the sibling set would understand. "This place will be so empty when you're all gone," she murmured, taking a look around as well.

"...I know," Lal agreed, "I-" her throat caught, and she had to blink away tears. Her brothers might call it being a crybaby, but Lallie, for one, knew there was nothing wrong with a bit of sentimentality. " _I'm going to miss you too_." Somehow, _somehow_ , she'd managed to get the words out without choking again, but stopping the tears were a lot more difficult.

Luffy had only been gone for a few hours, and already she'd been getting lonely, even if she'd managed to distract herself with packing, re-packing, and in the end making a huge mess of things in her anxiety, but that didn't change the fact that she _would_ miss her home. Almost as much as she would miss Makino, silly old Woop Slap-ji-chan, Dadan-san, and all the others. Just like Ace leaving three years ago had worried her to no end, and Sabo even before _that_.

And maybe, maybe she _was_ being a bit of a crybaby, but she really couldn't help it. Lal had always been emotional, and that hadn't changed even now. So when she found herself in Makino's arms, with tears spilling past her cheeks, and more that were definitely not her own wetting her shoulder, she clung on. Tight.

Thankfully none of her brothers were there, they would probably have panicked, seeing two of the important women in their life shedding tears so freely and clinging to each other. (And probably come to all the wrong conclusions, to boot, aside from being extremely discomfited.) But it felt _good_ to get those feelings off her chest. Off _their_ chests.

And by the time the two of them had calmed down enough to stop crying, they'd both feel much, much lighter as they shared smiles and laughed, wiping away the stray saline that remained on their faces.

After all, even if they were far apart, they would still be family.

No matter what.

And nothing would ever change that fact. Something that both women understood, even if it was in a different way than the boys…

… … …

The sound of his stomach gurgling was the first thing he heard as he woke up, only to find himself in a small, pitch dark place.

What the- Where was he? And what the heck was going on? A pause in the mumblings he could barely hear, and another gurgle of his stomach signalled the fact that his stomach had long since digested the food that he'd brought along with him.

Geez, what time was it? Wondered the boyish teen, hands feeling around to find an exit. What was he doing-

Oh. _Oh_. Oh yeah, he'd sealed himself into the barrel he'd been using to keep his food in (everything else he had were stuck into his pockets. _Everything._ It'd be a pain if he lost it all just cuz he dropped his bag or whatever, right? Right. So being the genius he was, he'd decided to just carry everything he could possibly need in his pockets… Which, unfortunately, couldn't hold his food. But that was okay, that's what the barrel had been for, and what luck! He was alive, after all). That whirlpool had been getting real close, after all, and it wasn't like the small boat he'd taken could possibly last against _that_.

Sure, he was kind of stupid, but he wasn't _that_ stupid. Lucky he had that barrel of food, though. Except…

Now he didn't have anymore food, did he? The male thought, pouting, before he shifted a bit. Yeesh, this was really starting to feel crowded. Trying to twist around to find a better position, he huffed and gave it up for a lost cause, instead, getting ready to stretch and get out of the barrel he'd been in.

The mumbling that had stopped a while ago had started up again, but Luffy wasn't paying attention to any of that. Nope. Instead, the teen was thinking about how even though it was kind of stuffy in the barrel, he'd still managed to have a nice nap. That, and sadness that he no longer had any meat with him. He'd eaten all the dried meat (Makino had called it jerky, but that couldn't be right. Dried meat wasn't a jerk, it was delicious! Even if he'd finished it up too fast… Aha! Maybe _that_ was why she called it jerky. It was a jerk for getting eaten up so quickly! Yeah, that made sense!)

Nodding to his own logic, the teen felt around. Arms? Check. Legs? Check. Toes- Oh no! His toes were go- No, wait! Thinking hard as he wiggled his toes and...kinda felt them? Sticking his tongue out of habit as he thought and squirmed a bit to reach his hands further down…. Yep! Still there! Er….ten? Yeah, Ten toes! They'd just been all squished between his feet, sandals, and the wood of the barrel.

Er...what came next… Hat?

"..." Squirming his arms around again, he felt a string at his neck, but that didn't necessarily mean it was his hat. Feeling up, he felt straw at his fingers, and grinned. A slight giggle ("Nihihihi!") escaping, as he felt around the hat on his head. The precious treasure that _that_ man had given him!

Deciding that the best way to check his hat was with his eyes (he couldn't move too well inside the barrel after all), he decided to break out.

But seriously.

"Man~ That was a great nap!" he exclaimed, ignoring (or ignorant of) the surprised exclamations that sounded behind him as he stretched. "Shihihihi~" Feeling his hat, and putting it back on his head from where it'd fallen (felt fine, and he hadn't caught any sight of any holes as he'd been putting it on), he looked around.

"Huh? Where am I?" He blinked, turning towards the spot of pink he'd caught out of the corner of his eye. "Who are you?" He asked, blinking at the shocked looking pink haired dweeb (or, well, at least he thought it was one. Ace said glasses made people look like dweebs, so it had to be true! ...or, well, probably. One of the few and only -if important- things his sister had taught him was that everyone made mistakes. They were all only human after all. So even if he doubted it, that didn't mean it couldn't be true...which was confusing, sometimes, to be honest. But that wasn't very important right now).

When the pink-haired kid didn't answer, he looked around more, spotting another person. This time, he followed the other guy's gaze (also shocked looking, though Luffy really didn't know why) to two people laying on the floor. "Huh? Are they sleeping on the ground? That's not good. You shouldn't sleep on there or you'll catch a cold, y'know," he told them, some indiscernible screech behind him (something that sounded very, _very_ vaguely like " _That's your fault, you bastard!_ " or something, thought that couldn't possibly be it, of course!) making him look back over to the other two.

Pinky still looked shocked (wow, was he doing a mimicry of a statue or something?), but the other guy was yelling and screeching so much the teen really couldn't understand what he was saying… Or maybe his ears had gotten water-locked? (He meant waterlogged, but apparently even after so many years with people trying to stuff his brain full of normal speech and word-meanings, he still made these mistakes. Ah, well, that was just one of the things that made Luffy...well, Luffy.)

Poking a finger in his ear, and picking around (until he heard a little 'pop'), the teen made an 'aha!' face, expression brightening as he found that it was much easier to understand what the weird guy was saying now.

Even if the screeches almost made him cringe, _yeesh_ , what crawled up his...his...thing...and died? (Even if that expression was wrong, Luffy was still Luffy, so that was pretty much par for the course… _Of course._ ) Oh, well, ignoring the yelling weirdo, he turned to the pink haired one that looked like he'd stopped trying to pretend to be a statue (though he didn't know why the guy would want to, to begin with. It really wasn't very fun, he'd tried it before, after all. ...It got _really_ boring after a while)...

"Hey, I'm hungry~ Is there any food around here?" he asked, even as Pinky's face slowly grew more horrified, eyes trained on something behind him (he was still ignoring the yelling, after all. No point listening to people who made no sense, after all). Still, he felt like he was forgetting _something_ …

"Oh, right! Could you give me some food… please?" He grinned, painstaking (and frustrating for the ones teaching him, to say the least) lessons on certain mannerisms having been... _somewhat_...ground into him by this point. "Shishishi!" Surely now he'd give him food, right?

As a yell sounded behind him, and Pinky started hyperventilating as he stared at the same point behind him, Luffy finally decided to find out just what was so interesting that the guy would ignore him (which was really rude! Nee-chan and Makino-san said so, which meant it had to be true!) to continue staring at it...

… … …

Coby couldn't believe it. Staring at the scene in front of him with disbelieving eyes as he pinched himself to see if he was dreaming.

"Ouch!" That-that hurt. Which meant… It... _This wasn't a dream?!_ He thought hysterically. U-Unless he'd just managed to hurt himself while rolling over in his sleep or something…

But no, he could feel and hear everything, even taste the salty sea air, as he watched desperately at what was going on. Could it be? Was… Was he...really...free? He...he wasn't still dreaming, right? This wasn't a dream... _right?_

Surely his consciousness couldn't call up something as...as _crazy_ as what he was seeing... _right?!_

… … …

The day had started out like pretty much any other since he'd found himself trapped aboard the Pirate Ship that sailed under large woman known as Alvida. Day after day of hell, fear poignant and ever increasing as he tried to keep himself out of trouble…

The pink-haired teen (undersized as he currently was, from lack of proper nutrition) had been pretty much resigned as things went about pretty much as per usual when one was on Iron Mace Alvida's ship. They'd spotted a cruise ship in the distance, and of course, Alvida had wanted to ransack it.

Coby, being weak, had waited and watched, until Alvida had scared him into doing _something_. So he'd hopped over (mostly to avoid getting hurt by the spiked club that the delusional woman used...not that he'd have said that to her face even a couple of hours ago), found a barrel of what he'd assumed was either Beer, Sake, Wine, or Grog of some kind.

And then everything had gotten shot to hell. A strange person had broken out of the very barrel he'd been rolling when some of the other Pirates had decided to break it open for themselves...only to find that one (well, _two_ , actually) of theirs had been knocked out.

The person (who was either really oblivious, unobservant, or both) had pretty much ignore the other Pirate that had been left, and started questioning him. (Something about food? Coby had been too shocked to move.) And then the blade had come crashing down...and he'd shut his eyes, sure that the person was done for.

Only, instead of the sound of metal slicing through flesh, it had been the sound of metal clashing against metal… and _breaking_. And when a voice that was _definitely_ not the pirate's sounded, Coby had looked up...only to be amazed, as the guy had just held onto his hat and tipped it back a bit, the end of a blade stuck into the ceiling and the remaining conscious pirate staring in shock at his broken sword.

"What the heck'd ya do that for? That was really _rude_ , y'know!" The straw hat wearing teen exclaimed, almost looking like he was sulking as he huffed. "You almost cut my hat!"

"Wh-wh-who the hell are you?!" exclaimed the blonde pirate, falling back as his broken blade fell from his hand, even as Coby had watched in confusion. What… just what had happened in the time that he'd shut his eyes?!

(He would later find out, of course, but that was a story for another time. For now, there was more of the craziness that was, apparently, _inherently Luffy_ that he would have to get used to before he died of shock in the short time he got to now the teen -no, _man_ in…)

"My name is Monkey D. Luffy!" The dark-haired man had responded, a wide grin on his face despite the situation (possibly just unheeding of what had apparently happened, Coby still wasn't sure). "Nice t'meet ya!"

Staring at the man with awe as the blonde pirate ran out dragging his two companions (one of which seemed to be waking up, while the other remained unconscious), Coby couldn't help but to question what had happened. Just... _what_?

Still, despite everything, as the man - _Luffy_ , he reminded himself- questioned the trio's behavior, Coby had gasped, remembering the situation. Despite his warnings, though, Luffy hadn't seemed to care very much, as he continued on to find the food he'd requested earlier.

Despite all the warnings he'd given (looking back, they probably hadn't been necessary at all), the hat-wearing male hadn't paid much attention. Laughing it off as he dug into barrels of food, even offering Coby some before consuming them all quickly enough that the pinkette had nearly done a double-take.

At some point, the teen wasn't sure how, he'd found himself sucked into the brunette's pace and had admitted his back story, only to get laughed at. And then freaking out when the other had admitted that _his_ dream was to be King of the Pirates.

Gods, he'd been such a frazzled bundle of nerves it had been amazing he'd managed not to get a heart attack even with all the stupid and crazy situations he'd found himself in. (Thankfully, it looked like he'd be able to build up immunity to it all, something that could really only help him, once _Garp_ got his hands on him.)

Needless to say, as Coby's confidence had found itself being raised to the point that he was shouting about capturing Alvida and becoming a marine, said person had crashed in, killing any thought of doing as he'd -maybe not quite planned, but...maybe daydreamed? Either way, the way he was, he probably wouldn't have stood a chance, anyway.

So when Luffy had asked (in what he would later learn was typical, blunt _Luffy-style_ ) who 'the fat ugly hag' was, well… at first, Coby had freaked, but then... _Then_ , realizing he'd never get anywhere without taking a chance, the teen had found himself yelling something far, far worse at the woman. (Something he'd never even dared to _dream_ of saying.)

And then, before he knew it, it had come to this. Watching as Alvida became nothing more than a distant speck in the sky as Luffy (who was apparently a rubber man thanks to eating one of the supposedly mythical devil fruits) blocked the fat pirate's club and _punched_ her.

Which brought him to the present, watching as Luffy demanded a boat so they could get away before the Marines got there. Coby following along to avoid being labeled as a pirate himself, seeing as he'd been forced to be a chore boy on a pirate ship for two years now…

As Luffy laughed and requested that he set course towards the nearest town (because Luffy apparently couldn't navigate very well...if at all), Coby took a moment to watch this seemingly unassuming teen wearing a straw hat.

"..." ' _As long as I'm willing to die for it… then I can do anything, huh…_ '

… … …

Luffy stared at the exceedingly rude, fat, ugly old hag that had appeared so suddenly before them. Having been all but inhaling the barrel of apples that Dweeby had led him to. The kid was a coward, and he didn't really like him, but he was probably nice enough, considering he'd given him _food_. And Lal had always said to be grateful for his food and be polite when someone did something nice for him, so he'd offered Pinky some of the apples before he'd started really digging in.

(He'd refused, but Luffy hadn't been too bothered by it, it just meant _more_ for him, anyway! Which was great, of course. Though...it still didn't fill him all that well, but then, Lal had said something about balanced diet, and blah-blah-blah… He'd probably have to try to catch a sea king or something later, since there weren't exactly any other kind of beast out in the ocean right now. Well, as far as he was aware, anyway.)

As the reedy-sounding kid (seriously, even though he was only a little shorter than him, the guy still looked like a kid with all the baby fat and everything) started talking on and on, Luffy tried his best to pay attention, he still couldn't help zoning out a bit as he devoured the barrel of apples, though he did manage to get something about marines and _accidentally_ getting on a pirate ship of all things.

Laughing at the other (he really couldn't help it, getting stuck on a pirate ship by _accident_ and being too scared to even try to escape? Man, what a scaredy-cat!), he almost choked on a bite of apple that he quickly forced himself to swallow before snickering. "Man, you're really a _wimpy little idiot_ , huh?" He grinned, not really meaning to hurt the other's feelings so much as just stating what he was thinking at the time. "I really don't like people like you, y'know!"

Despite the cheerful delivery, this seemed to only depress the pink-haired boy into tears, though he was laughing, so Luffy didn't think that had really hurt his feelings (people tended to be pretty weird, if he was going to be honest, but since he wasn't really thinking about it)...

"Ugh…H-How blunt…" The other teen practically whimpered (man, this kid was seriously lame, thought the straw-hat wearing brunette), "But, you're right… If only I was brave enough," the boy muttered, even as Luffy tilted his head in curious confusion.

"?" Blinking at the other as he polished off the last of the apples, and the glasses-wearing pinkette turned to him, Luffy watched as the other seemed to work up the courage to say, well, _something_.

"H-Hey… Luffy-san… W- Exactly… why is it that you're sailing…?" asked the depressed and dweeby teen.

Grinning far more brightly at the reminder of his dream -no, his _quest_ (which made it sound so much more awesome and adventure-y, and so much more definite, too!)- Luffy told him. "I...want to be the Pirate King!" Expression bright, he couldn't help the slight "Shishishi~" that escaped, just the thought of it made him feel so excited, the determination and joy of chasing after his dreams…

"W-... W-... _What?!_ "

The screechy sound the other made in response was something he could have done without, though.

Disbelief was clear on the wimpy kid's face. "B- But 'Pirate King' was the title of the one who has everything in this world! Are you seriously telling me you want to look for the _World's Greatest Treasure_ , the ' _One Piece_ '?!"

Strangely enough, the other seemed to be having trouble breathing, though Luffy couldn't really bother to care as much by this point, as the other continued on, not letting him interject in the slightest. " _DO YOU WANT TO DIE?! ALL THE PIRATES IN THE WORLD ARE LOOKING FOR THAT TREASURE!_ " the kid yelled (man, that guy had a loud voice).

"Yeah, well, so am I!" Luffy huffed, posture getting defiant as pinkette ignored him and continued to panic all on his own (seriously, what the heck?!).

"Th-That's impossible! _Absolutely_ impossible! Completely and utterly, impossible! T-To be the Pirate King in this Era of Pirates… There's no chance! Absolutely _No Way!_ " He all but screamed, only to actually do so when he found a fist jammed into his head as he fell back in pain.

"W- _Why did you hit me?!_ " He all but whined.

Huffing slightly as he slowly retracted his fist, he frowned. "Cuz I couldn't stand you!" Complaining about this and that, impossible this and that… This was why he hated people like him. Always thinking so negatively, yeesh! Didn't he know that anything was possible if you really put your mind to it?

...Er, well… Maybe not his _mind_ so much as his body…

"O-Oh… Well, I'm used to it anyway…" Clearly calmer now, the pinkette gave a soft, quiet laugh. (Which really annoyed him, cuz it reminded him of something that he couldn't really seem to remember well at the moment, _ugh_.)

Still, regardless of the pinkette's beliefs, Luffy would stand by his own. "I'm not afraid of dying," he said at last, startling the other into paying attention to him again ("Huh?"). "Since it's my dream," he explained, figuring that a coward like Pinky wouldn't really understand unless he explained it.

(Makino and the others had explained the concept so many times, it had become all but ingrained into the male by now, to be honest. Though he didn't always get why 'rephrasing' things made them apparently make sense to other people, but, whatever. Like he said, people were just plain weird, sometimes.)

"Because it's my dream, I don't mind dying for it." Even if it might hurt the ones he cared for, he knew they would understand it. His feelings. This resolution of his, just like he knew that if Ace died (as much as it would hurt him), it would be because he was trying to fulfill his own dream, as well. Even if he'd cried the day that Ace had had to leave, that didn't mean he didn't understand why.

(Although it'd be nice if Ace stopped calling him a freaking _crybaby_ , because _he wasn't a crybaby, damnit_. He wasn't! He was all grown up now, and he hadn't cried in a long time, so there!)

Brushing off his precious hat once more, the determined teen thought that it was probably time to head off soon. He needed to get himself a boat and some crew members, after all! Ignoring the pinkette as he muttered to himself. (Seriously, what was it with people like him and muttering? Don't they know that talking to yourself is supposed to be crazy? ...Not that he would know, but it'd been _said_ so… it should be true, right? ….Right?)

"Besides, it's not like I _can't_ do it," he huffed, stretching his arms a bit. "Even if it gets tough," after all, what real adventure doesn't have its rough parts? "I still think I can do it," stance confident as he got up, the other nearly missed the pinkette's words.

"...ill I…" the words were quiet, strangely wavering as their owner reached some kind of revelation. "Will I...also be able to accomplish my dream…?" Coby wondered, hands clenching as water filled his vision, dripping down his face in what was probably an unsightly way. Though the glasses-wearing teen didn't actually seem to care for once, for the moment, at least.

Looking back at the quietly crying male, Luffy stopped. Unaware of the poignant nature of the moment, but still paying full attention to the smaller teen, if only for the sincerity that colored his voice.

"If… If I'm willing to die… _Would I be able to become a Marine…?!_ "

… … …

For a long moment, no one said anything. Mind blank, Luffy could only stare, before finally blinking and breaking the spell. A...Marine? His mind flashed back to some rather traumatic moments spent with his _crazy kook of a grandpa_ (amazingly, Makino's words during a rare point when she'd lost her temper. It had been scary. It had been _awesome_. And he would forever remember the moment for the rest of his life. If only because she'd somehow managed to cow _that_ scary-ass Grandad of theirs).

(Garp had muttered something that had sounded somewhat suspiciously like 'that time of month' though Luffy had been too young to really understand it. Makino-san's reaction to that was pretty...intense, actually, though he couldn't be sure since she'd started smiling that really scary smile that girls could do for some reason, and told him to go out and play before tearing into Garp for...a whole bunch of things he couldn't really remember, to be honest. But it had been great, and he'd been allowed to take a break from his grandpa's crazy training for a while, so that was good….the broken arm, on the other hand, hadn't been so good, and definitely _not_ fun…

(The question of how he'd managed to break his arm when it was _rubber_ was a _whole 'nother question entirely_ …)

… … …

"A...Marine…?" Somehow managing to get the words out, Luffy wasn't quite prepared for the yelling that occurred in response to that.

"Luffy-san!" Tears still running down his face (it was kind of gross, to be honest, but it wasn't _his_ face that was running, so whatever. Cuz snot and tears on his face felt really icky and disgusting after it starting drying -or 'congealing' as his smarter siblings would say- but that was another matter), Pinky turned to him, a surprisingly determined expression on his face that brought a slightly smile to his face the more he listened.

"I know it means we'll be enemies, but-! But _joining the Marines and catching the bad guys has always been my dream!_ " He exclaimed, apparently unaware of the slightly laugh that had escaped the taller teen's mouth. "Do you think I can do it?!"

Starting to like the scrawny, wimpy guy despite himself, Luffy really couldn't help the grin as he honestly answered. "I dunno!"

Thankfully, it seemed that Pinky- no, _Coby_ had already found the answer to that question himself, though.

"I have to at least try! I- _I'd rather die trying to get out of here and join the Marines… that to stay here and be a caretaker for the rest of my life!_ " He shouted, voice raising in volume as his determination truly began to solidify. "And then, Alvida-sama…" Taking a breath as he quieted for a moment, he announced the words that would either damn him or save him in the next few moments, though it might depend on the person's perspective.

"I'll _definitely catch and arrest Alvida!_ " He exclaimed, unaware of said person getting closer and closer, to the two as he spoke.

 _CRASH_.

Well, at least until the roof shattered and began to rain down on them, anyway...


	4. Reunion (Feat: Law, PostDofy-PreZou)

**A/N:** Annndd here's another one. This time just an OC Insert AU. (I have way too many OCs for this fandom, I swear.) Based on an AU where Corazon doesn't die, due to butterfly effect, but everyone else follows canon until this point.

Warning: Spoilers for Dressrosa Arc.

This one takes place after Dressrosa and before Zou. Basically meant to be more of a 'fix-it' for Law, because I love that dorky death surgeon. Part of what I've decided to call the "Snow Rabbit" AU/Verse. Mostly Law's Point of View. Partially Character Writing Practice, and just because I wanted to indulge in something happy, at least.

This isn't really complete, to be honest. There are parts missing or cut out because it wouldn't make sense (because those parts/flashbacks were incomplete), so yeah, might be a bit confusing. If I write enough/more I'll probably add an explanation for it then.

* * *

 **Scrap 004. Reunion / Snow Rabbit AU** (Rated T for One Piece)

* * *

They'd just beaten Doflamingo, Law and the Strawhats had (or rather, Luffy had, mostly) and they were now on their way to the uncharted island of Zou. But even with the amount of supplies they'd stocked up on in Dressrosa, with the way that Luffy ate, there was no doubt they'd have to stop by another island (or two, or more) to restock on the way.

Unfortunately, Law couldn't exactly argue, since, as a doctor, he knew better. It was sound logic, after all, no matter how impatient he might be to reunite with his crew. Nutrients were important, and even if Nami-ya had that grove of mikan trees (seriously, what the fuck? A mikan grove on a pirate ship? Really?! Not even mentioning the full lawn of grass that made up most of the deck) getting only Vitamin C for the long trip to Zou wouldn't do them much good.

Not to mention that the navigator was such a money-obsessed woman that there was no way she'd simply give them away 'for free'. There'd be a steep price to pay for sure.

And so it was thus that found Strawhats and Death Surgeon on the island of Aglaeza, with crew and ally splitting up to take a look around the surprisingly abundant marketplace. Though he was sure a few people had recognized the pirates, knowing that they were simply here to peacefully stock up and leave, coupled with the fact that the closest Marine HQ wouldn't be able to reach them for several days at least (in which time they would've already left anyway), there really wasn't any point in worrying about it until they really had to.

Law really wasn't sure whether to be dumbfounded or impressed by the island's general lackadaisical attitude. Surely such infamous pirates would be avoided by the general populace? Or at least confronted by the idiots that thought they had a chance at beating said pirates when they really didn't…?

Still, it was nice to be able to stretch his legs, and, knowing that the Strawhats wouldn't leave without him, took his time to look around. Maybe he could find a book or two to keep him busy for a while? Or maybe something else to keep himself occupied for a bit.

Even if he doubted he'd be left alone for very long. The Strawhatters were as crazy a bunch as he'd ever met….The Kidd Pirates' Eustass-ya notwithstanding, the pirate mused. It was both horrifying how he could fall into the pattern of chaos that was so completely Strawhat as well as eye-opening. Though the crew themselves were a bit crazy, it was amazing just how easily they were able to keep up with their idiot captain's whims.

Definitely the strangest Pirate Crew, Law'd ever not had the honor to meet.

Really, there were times that Law had really, really regretted the alliance he'd started with Mugiwara-ya. Even if everything had turned out...amazingly okay in the end, it was still probably one of the most stressful situations he'd ever been in.

That incident notwithstanding.

Honestly, the Death Surgeon was surprised that he hadn't found any grey hairs growing on his scalp yet.

He'd be extremely happy once he was back with his crew again.

He never wanted to go through that much stress (usually instigated by Luffy, his crew, or both) ever again.

Ever.

It was really very unfortunate that Law had been so tied up with his own thoughts (and probably too confident in his own ability to really take note of any threat on such a small yet surprisingly thriving island), that he wouldn't notice what would've been a very familiar blonde man walking alongside young woman and splitting up just a couple stands over.

Then again, even if he had, he probably would've believed it to be a hallucination on his part.

After all, that man had died years ago. And that girl had followed that man into death soon after, as well.

They couldn't possibly still be alive after all these years, after all…could they...?

* * *

Several stalls away, a silvery-white haired young woman parted from her companion, pink-red eyes watching as her companion walked away. A wide smile on her face as she silently giggled when the large man tripped on nothing but air on his way to the dusty old book and trinket store to speak with the owner as per usual.

They had come to the market to restock on groceries as they did every once in awhile. With the tall blonde heading off to the few actual stores that lined the open marketplace, where they wouldn't have to worry about his clumsiness making a mess of their purchases, and the pink-red eyes girl making her rounds to the fresh produce stands that were scattered around the marketplace.

And as per usual, the marketplace was relatively busy. After all, everyone on the island came here to do their shopping for the most part. It was a relatively large island, after all, and someone was always in the area to buy or sell.

So really, it wasn't too surprising that she and her companion would take a second trip around the marketplace together once all their necessities had been collected.

For now, however, they would part ways to pick up what they'd come to get before meeting back up.

Besides, it wasn't like the young woman couldn't defend herself if needed. Even if she was mute, she was still a devil's fruit user -and as was her companion, though it wasn't nearly so obvious as her own when in use. Silence wasn't exactly an obvious thing to note for most, after all. And considering the man had once had military training, there wasn't really a need for his other skill, anyway.

Not even mentioning that a zoan type like herself would be more than able to handle herself. Even if she might come off as innocent as a rabbit when she wanted (or needed) to be.

Approaching the first stand of fresh produce, the silent girl greeted the familiar face of the stall owner with a smile.

They'd lived here for long enough that they'd all come to pick up at least a little sign language considering how often they frequented the marketplace, after all.

And it wasn't like she couldn't simply pull out the pad and pen that she always kept on her for the times when they didn't...

* * *

Across the marketplace, a certain blonde chef flirted his way through women even as he searched for the best ingredients he could find for his crew, while his captain and green-haired 'rival' got themselves lost on the surprisingly large island.

At least their captain had gotten 'lost' on purpose though, as he adventured the surrounding areas, carrying a specially made bento. Courtesy of their resident chef, of course.

The navigator and historian would take their time looking around and haggling for this trinket or that book that came across their interest, while the young doctor checked his stocks onboard their ship. The sniper and shipwright would use this time to bond as they tossed ideas back and forth whilst working on new projectiles and ship parts.

And all the while, Trafalgar continued to amble along the streets, looking for something to peak his interest now that his thoughts weren't occupied in introspection. It'd still be a while before either party would take note of the other, however, as the Death Surgeon continued to allow himself to get distracted without the usual worry of his own crew getting into situations (though he might have to worry about the Strawhatters, he'd already decided to just take things as they came, especially considering the idiot they had for a captain).

Still, as the two steadily worked their way towards each other, one of the two would end up taking note of the other first. And in this case, it'd be by the heightened senses that many zoans boasted that would allow the young woman the advantage of noticing the other first.

Across the street, Law would continue to amble, hands in pockets and nodachi resting against his shoulder as he stopped every now and then to get a closer look at this or that stall and its wares, unaware of the impending reunion that would soon be taking place.

As for the other party, well, it would be a mix of luck and the convenient breeze that would bring the nearly forgotten scent of her once littermate as she purchased some apples from the kind old woman that always sold the best red apples on the island.

Head turning in a sudden jerky movement brought on by shocked recognition, large pink-red eyes widened almost impossibly large as she stared at the (unfairly) tall man, nearly forgetting her apples, as she absentmindedly accepted her purchase and thanked the now curious old woman.

Such a strange reaction, after all. And their dear Tomiko was such a sweet girl, even if she was mute. She was a good listener, and had even had the patience to teach an old woman such as herself a little sign language. Not to mention the fur she sometimes brought to the marketplace! It had to be some of the softest fur she'd ever had the pleasure of feeling. Which only meant it was in high demand when she did deem to bring any to sell.

Still, she did always reserve some for those who had helped the little family of two, which, of course, included the kindly old apple lady. Still, it didn't seem to be anything bad, as the uniquely eyed girl absently signed a 'thank you', which the woman proudly noted that she hadn't had to think too much to translate, before scurrying off and breaking her usual pattern of heading to the next vendor.

Sharing a look with her marketplace neighbor, she could only shrug at the questioning look directed her way as they both turned to watch what the girl was trying to do, puzzled and curious at this strange reaction. It wasn't like she knew any better than the other vendor what was going through the silent girl's mind, after all.

Neither of them had ever seen her act in such a way.

Hopefully, however, it wouldn't be anything bad, as it hadn't seemed to be a negative reaction, and more...surprised than scared. Still, they were sure to get an explanation (along with an unnecessary apology) when she finally returned.

And so the old woman was content enough to watch and wait. She'd send someone to alert the elder Kohra if it looked to be any trouble, though she doubted it as she watched the girl throw herself at a tall spotted hat wearing youth who looked just as surprised as she had only moments before.

She turned her attention away when it looked to be a rather embarrassingly emotional reunion, however (how cute, though such a shame if it turned out that this strange young man was a suitor...she hoped not, she -among the other old women of the community- would simply love to have the sweethearted girl as a granddaughter-in-law). There were others that wanted to buy apples after all, and it wasn't like she couldn't simply keep half an eye on the duo that looked to be catching up by the looks of it.

Besides, even if she didn't, one of the other venders would do something if it came to it. Little Tomi and the ridiculously tall and clumsy Rosi had long since become like family to those that lived in the neighboring towns, and were familiar faces to those that frequented their little marketplace.

* * *

Across the street, it would only be shock that would keep Law from automatically attacking the limpet that had suddenly attached itself to his torso. That, and the number of people in the marketplace that had turned their attention to the two at his choked exclamation of shock, one he'd only half been able to swallow as he stumbled for a moment, barely able to react as previously stated limpet released him without a word, only for a head of silvery-white hair to enter his vision.

Law stared, mind blank for a moment as the young woman before him fired off rapid handsigns in a (very) familiar pattern. He was a bit rusty, after all. But then, it'd been years (years upon years, in fact) since he'd had to use such an inconvenient language as sign. Still, as the silver-white haired girl with the startlingly familiar pink-red eyes smiled, eyes tearing up as she sniffled silently, his mind beginning to pick up a little on the familiar signs (who else used signs and knew he could -or rather, used to be able to- read it, after all?).

Finally, it clicked.

"To...miko….?" Steel eyes widened as their owner nearly choked at the nod he received. A sharp sign meant to convey an emphatic 'yes' answering his question. The Death Surgeon blinked, only sheer will keeping tears from forming and falling even as he swallowed a sudden surge of emotion. "I...I thought you were dead!" He couldn't help but exclaim, wincing slightly when he heard the roughness and choked sounding words.

Trafalgar D. Water Law did not trip over his words, after all.

The girl shook her head, smiling with tear-filled eyes that she quickly wiped away with one hand as she continued to rapidly sign with the other. Unfortunately, the Pirate was still a little too rusty to understand it properly, though he was slowly picking back up on it. Besides, it wasn't like he couldn't -sort of- guess what she was trying to say, if he knew her as well as he thought he did (even after all these years, she didn't seem to have changed much… he was glad). "Slow down, idiot. I can't read that fast," he huffed, only remotely irritated and only really at the fact that he was so out of touch with the language.

Did she even know how long it'd been since he'd last had to use sign, let alone read it? Not since…

Since…

He stopped there before he could bring the atmosphere down with the depressing thought. Thankfully, it didn't seem that the girl had noticed, as her shoulders shook silently in what he took to be a giggle, signing a much slower apology with her free hand as she did.

Really, how could she help it when she was so excited to find her friend (and old warren-brother) after so many years? There was so much she wanted to tell him, so much he'd missed -that they'd missed in each other's lives.

At her apologetic smile, however, Law sighed, "Either way, this isn't exactly a good place to play catch up…" He muttered, knowing that her sharp ears would pick up on it easily.

After all, she'd had her fruit ability since long before they'd even met.

Tomiko perked up and nodded, eyes bright with some idea and reaching out to grab his free hand, before signing and pointing in the general direction she'd come from and tugging with her other.

He raised a brow, but shrugged and followed.

Looked like she wanted him to follow her, so she probably knew some place they could have their little...reunion… with a bit more privacy.

He could already feel quite a few eyes -and even catching a lot more- the longer he and Tomiko continued to interact.

It was making him….itch...for lack of a better word, his other hand automatically moving to grip the scabbard of his nodachi.

Definitely not for comfort. All the stares weren't nerve wracking in the least for a Pirate such as himself, after all. As an Pirate as Infamous as he was, he was used to drawing stares, after all. Of having the attention of complete and utter strangers centered on him (or at least in his general area, when his crew were present).

He was definitely not just a little overemotional from meeting someone he'd thought had died so long ago.

...Another person he'd failed to protect, whispered that dark little voice at the back of his mind. Just like he'd failed to protect that person, and his own family before that. Failed to protect Lamie, failed to protect his parents, his friends…

Law carefully shut the thought out of his mind, as he redirected his attention towards the (now much shorter) woman in front of him.

She'd grown, the doctor's side of him noted. She looked healthy -happy, too, he noticed, unable to help the tiny smile that appeared as he took in her clearly excited figure, free hand gesturing and signing rapidly -and not a little wildly in her excitement.

Really, she was still as bright as she had been…

That was good.

That was great.

She was happy, healthy, and alive. Had managed to get over that incident, and escaped from Doflamingo somehow.

She was alive. She was fine, and Dofy was dead, and Cora-san had been avenged, and…

And…

If he tilted his head down so that his eyes were shaded, so that Tomiko wouldn't notice. If he had to blink away a few tears under the shadows of his restructured and now billed hat, well, that wasn't anyone's business but his own, now was it…?

She was alive. Someone he cared about had managed to survive the tragedy that had happened back then (aside from himself, of course).

She was alive…


End file.
